Hawk

Bird of prey

For other uses, see Hawk (disambiguation) and Hawks (disambiguation).

Hawk

Adult Eurasian goshawk
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Aves
Order:  | Accipitriformes
Family:  | Accipitridae
Sharp-shinned hawk, a small member of the Accipitrinae subfamily

Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica.[1]

The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This subfamily are mainly woodland birds with short broad wings, long tails, and high visual acuity. They hunt by dashing suddenly from a concealed perch.[2]

In America, members of the Buteo group are also called hawks, though birds of this group are called buzzards in other parts of the world. Generally, buteos have broad wings and sturdy builds. They are relatively larger-winged and shorter-tailed than accipiters, and fly further distances in open areas. Buteos descend or pounce on their prey rather than engaging in fast, horizontal pursuit.

The terms accipitrine hawk and buteonine hawk are used to distinguish between the types in regions where hawk applies to both. The term "true hawk" is sometimes used for the accipitrine hawks in regions where buzzard is preferred for the buteonine hawks.

All these groups are members of the family Accipitridae, which includes hawks and buzzards as well as kites, harriers, and eagles. To confuse things further, some authors use "hawk" generally for any small to medium Accipitrid that is not an eagle.[3]

A Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), a member of the Buteo group

The common names of some birds include the term "hawk", reflecting traditional usage rather than taxonomy. For example, some people may call an osprey a "fish hawk" or a peregrine falcon a "duck hawk".

## History

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Falconry was once called "hawking", and any bird used for falconry could be referred to as a hawk.[4]

Aristotle listed eleven types of ἱέρακες (hierakes, hawks; singular ἱέραξ, hierax): aisalōn (merlin), asterias, hypotriorchēs, kirkos, leios, perkos, phassophonos, phrynologos, pternis, spizias, and triorchēs. Pliny numbered sixteen kinds of hawks, but named only aigithos, epileios, kenchrēïs (kestrel), kybindis, and triorchēs (buzzard).[5]

## Groups

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### Accipiterine group

[edit]

Accipitrine hawks generally hunt other birds as their primary prey and thus are sometimes called "hen-hawks". Similarly, they are sometimes called "wood-hawks" because of their woodland habitat. Though they are also known as "true hawks" With most being called "sparrowhawks" or "goshawks" with the both being named such because of them hunting small birds (like sparrow) and large water-fowl (like goose) respectively

The subfamily Accipitrinae contains the genus Accipiter as well as the genera Micronisus (Gabar goshawk), Urotriorchis (long-tailed hawk), and Megatriorchis (Doria's goshawk). Melierax (chanting goshawk) may be included in the subfamily or given a subfamily of its own.

Erythrotriorchis (red- and chestnut-shouldered goshawk) is traditionally included in Accipitridae, but is possibly a convergent genus from an unrelated group (see red goshawk taxonomy).

### Buteonine group

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The "Buteonine group" includes genera Buteo, Parabuteo, Geranoetus, and most of Leucopternis. Members of this group have also been called "hawk-buzzards".[6]

The proposed new genera Morphnarchus, Rupornis, and Pseudastur would be formed from members of Buteo and Leucopternis.[7]

Members of the "Buteogallus group" are also called hawks, with the exception of solitary eagle species. Buteo is the type genus of the subfamily Buteoninae. This subfamily traditionally includes eagles and sea-eagles, but Lerner and Mindell (2005)[8] proposed placing them into separate the subfamilies Aquilinae and Haliaaetinae. This would leave only the buteonine hawks/buzzards in Buteoninae.

## Characteristics

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Screaming Hawk

Scream of a hawk.

* * *

Problems playing this file? See media help.

### Intelligence

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In February 2005, Canadian ornithologist Louis Lefebvre announced a method of measuring avian "IQ" by measuring their innovation in feeding habits. Based on this scale, hawks were named among the most intelligent birds.[9]

The hawk is very intelligent towards humans and other hawks.[10]

### Eyesight

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Hawks, like most birds, are tetrachromats with four types of colour receptors in the eye. Unlike some birds, but similar to other diurnal raptors, most hawk species are violet-sensitive but cannot perceive ultraviolet light.[11] Hawks also have relatively high visual acuity – the distance at which they can resolve an image – with red-tailed hawks reported to have 16.8 cycles per degree.[12] This is due to the large number of photoreceptors in the retina (up to 1,000,000 per square mm in Buteo, compared to 200,000 in humans), a high number of nerves connecting these receptors to the brain, and an indented fovea, which magnifies the central portion of the visual field.[13][14][15] Hawks additionally have two foveae (depressions in the retina with high photoreceptor density) in each eye, one centrally-placed and the other temporally-placed.[16] Finally, the eyeball is elongated, placing the lens far from the retina and giving a long focal length.[17]

## Migration

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Like most birds, hawks migrate in the autumn and the spring. The autumn migration season begins in August and ends mid-December, and different types of hawk choose different times in each season to migrate. Some migration distances are longer than others, and birds traveling longer distances tend to depart in early autumn while those traveling shorter distances start much later. Studies have shown that it is better for a hawk to arrive at its destination as early as possible to have first pick of mates, territory, food, and other resources.[18]

There are a variety of factors impacting the strategy and success of a hawk's migration. Kerlinger states that a bird has more body fat when it begins its migration than when it arrives at its destination. Thus, the more fat a bird has when it begins its migration, the better its chances of making the trip safely. Flight path is another important factor in migration because a bird's route can greatly affect the conditions it encounters during its journey. For example, wind direction and speed can either throw the bird off course or push it in the right direction.[19] Due to the relative variability of air conditions over large bodies of water and the resulting impact on safety, hawks tend to avoid any large bodies of water while migrating by detouring around lakes or flying along coasts.[20]

Hawkwatching is a citizen scientist activity that monitors hawk migration and provides data to the scientific community.

## Habitat and distribution

[edit]

See also: List of Accipitriformes by population

The red-tailed hawk is probably the most common hawk in North America.[21]

Past observations have indicated that, while hawks can easily adapt to most environments, they prefer open habitats such as deserts and fields, likely because it is easier to spot prey. As they are able to live anywhere, they can also be found in mountainous plains and tropical, moist areas such as Central America, the West Indies, and Jamaica.[22]

## Behavior

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Perch Hunting. This perching hawk located, captured and returned with prey at sunset

Parents feed young hawks from early in their lives until they leave the nest.[23] Young hawks, while still in the fledgling phase, will leave their nests as early as six weeks old, but they do not hunt until they are older. Like most birds of prey, hawks kill their prey with their talons. Hawks usually prefer hunting just before nightfall when daylight lessens.[18] Although hawks are known for being violent predators, some are gentle and quiet.[citation needed]

Hawks fly by flapping their wings rapidly then relying on momentum to glide through the air.[20] Like other birds, they are known to form flocks when migrating, which improves survival rates over traveling alone. Flocks of birds, especially hawks, are sometimes called "kettles" in the United States.[non sequitur][19]: 215–16

## Reproduction

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Hawks are known for their unique mating season and means of reproduction.

Some species of hawk are monogamous and have one partner their whole lives. The male and female of a mating pair build their nest before mating season then improve it throughout nesting season. They usually do this before mating.[20]

Hawks have a striking mating ritual. First, a male and a female fly together in a circular motion. Once they reach a certain height, the male dives toward the female before ascending back to that height. The two birds repeat this until the male latches onto the female, and they begin to free-fall towards the ground.

In one year, a female hawk will lay about five eggs. Both the male and the female guard and care for the eggs for about a month until they hatch.[23]

## Diet

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Red-tailed hawk removing fur from a rodent before eating it, Mission Peak Regional Preserve, California

Hawks feed on a variety of smaller animals such as snakes, lizards, fish, mice, rabbits, squirrels, birds, or any other type of small game that is found on the ground.[23] As an example, red-shouldered hawks eat smaller birds like doves as well as bugs like grasshoppers and crickets.[20]

## In culture

[edit]

Further information: Falconry

The term war hawk, or simply hawk, is used in politics to describe someone perceived as favoring war. The term reportedly originated in the United States during the 1810 debates in Congress over a possible war with Great Britain. Congressman John Randolph is said to have referred to Henry Clay's pro-war faction as the "war-hawks".[24]

Numerous sporting clubs, such as the Atlanta Hawks, the Hawthorn Hawks, and the Malmö Redhawks, use the bird as an emblem. The sports teams of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio officially became known as the RedHawks in 1997 after changing the name from Redskins. The sports teams of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia use the Hawk as an emblem for sports teams as well for students and graduates. The University of Iowa uses the name Hawkeyes for their sports teams. Although the name "Hawkeyes" is not derived from a hawk, they have Herky the Hawk as their mascot and a hawk head as their team logo.

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb holding a hawk in his darbar

Hawks are strongly associated with Guru Gobind Singh in the Sikh community. He is believed to have kept a white Northern Goshawk. As a result, the Northern Goshawk was made the official state bird of Punjab, India.[25][26][27][28]

In Korea, from the early Joseon period, hawks and other birds of prey were associated with a branch of government known as the Imperial Censorate, suggesting the qualities of courage and a keen sense of justice. Artists such as Chŏng Hongnae specialised in portraying hawks for royalty, and his Hawk at Sunrise is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[29]

## References

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1. ^ "hawk | Types, Diet, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
2. ^ Campbell, B., Lack.E (2013) A Dictionary of Birds. p.273
3. ^ Debus, Stephen J. S. (1990). The birds of prey of Australia: a field guide. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 12, 16, 62. ISBN 0-19-550624-3. Debus writes that the osprey is "a large aquatic hawk, with adaptations for catching fish by plunge-diving into water"; the elanid kites are "small, gull-like, grey-and-white hawks with black forewing patches"; and, of the harriers, that the "hawks in this cosmopolitan genus ('circling hawk') are so-called because of their low harrying flight". But he refers to the "typical or milvine kites" as "large kites", not hawks.
4. ^ Little, William; Fowler, H. W.; Coulson, Jessie; Onions, C. T.; Friedrichsen, G. W. S. (1973) [1944]. "Hawk". The shorter Oxford English dictionary on historical principles (3 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-861-294-X. "Any diurnal bird of prey used in Falconry ... In Nat. Hist., restricted to a bird of the subfamily Accipitrinæ ... To chase or hunt game with a trained hawk; to practise falconry. ... Thei hauke, thei hunt, thei card, thei dice. Latimer [Hugh 1485? – 1555]"
5. ^ Arnott, W. Geoffrey (2007). "Hierax". Birds in the Ancient World from A to Z. Routledge. ISBN 9781134556267.
6. ^ "Hawk". The Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
7. ^ Remsen, Van (August 2010). "Revise generic boundaries in the Buteo group. Proposal (460) to the South American Classification Committee". Retrieved 22 June 2014.
8. ^ Farnsworth, Matt (2024-01-12). "Eagle-eyed and Soaring: The Buteo Biography". The Worlds Rarest Birds. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
9. ^ EurekAlert! Public News List:Bird IQ test takes flight \- Dr. Lefebvre's AAAS presentation - Feeding innovations and forebrain size in birds (Monday, February 21, 2005)Part of the symposium: Mind, Brain and Behavior
10. ^ Morgan, James (23 April 2021). "What Are Hawks Afraid Of? [Which Animals Prey on Hawks?]". BirdWatchingBuzz. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
11. ^ Lind, Olle; Mitkus, Mindaugas; Olsson, Peter; Kelber, Almut (15 May 2013). "Ultraviolet sensitivity and colour vision in raptor foraging". Journal of Experimental Biology. 216 (10): 1819–1826\. doi:10.1242/jeb.082834. PMID 23785106.
12. ^ Hall, M.I.; Ross, C.F. (2007). "Eye shape and activity patterns in birds". Journal of Zoology. 271 (4): 437–444\. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00227.x.
13. ^ "Hawks". beautyofbirds.com. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
14. ^ Kirschbaum, Kari. "Family Accipitridae". AnimalDiversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
15. ^ Nathan, Raymond. "Bird of preys". Birdlife.org. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
16. ^ Mitkus, Mindaugas; Olsson, Peter; Toomey, Matthew B.; Corbo, Joseph C.; Kelber, Almut (2017). "Specialized photoreceptor composition in the raptor fovea". The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 525 (9): 2152–2163\. doi:10.1002/cne.24190. PMC 6235456. PMID 28199005.
17. ^ "How Far Can Hawks Really See? (The Truth Explained) | Birdie Learning". birdielearning.com. 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
18. ^ a b Heintzelman, Donald S. (1986). The Migration of Hawks. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 40.
19. ^ a b Kerlinger, Paul (1989). Flight Strategies of Migrating Hawks. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 57–58, 153.
20. ^ a b c d Heintzelman, Donald S. (2004). Hawks & Owls in Eastern North America. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. pp. 96–98\. ISBN 9780813533506.
21. ^ "Red-tailed Hawk Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
22. ^ "Where Do Red-tailed Hawks Live? (Habitat + Distribution)". Birdfact. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
23. ^ a b c "Red-Tailed Hawk". National Geographic. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
24. ^ p 156, "Fighting Words, From War, Rebellions, and Other Combative Capers by Christine Ammer.:
25. ^ "Lost in flight: State bird of Punjab missing from the state!". Hindustan Times. 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
26. ^ "State Bird is BAAZ". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
27. ^ "Baj: The Hawk and the Sikhs | Harinder Singh | SikhRI Articles".
28. ^ Dhavan, Purnima (2011). "When Sparrows Became Hawks". doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199756551.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-975655-1 – via ResearchGate.
29. ^ Attributed to Jeong Hong-Rae 정홍래 鄭弘來 (Korean, born 1720), Hawk at Sunrise, retrieved 2025-04-18`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

## External links

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Wikiquote has quotations related to Hawks.

Look up hawk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

* Hawks and eagles (Accipitridae) information, videos, photos and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
* "Hawk" . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
* "Hawk" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 94–95.
* "Hawk" . The New Student's Reference Work . 1914.

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